Drone delivery picks up in Africa as Jumia pairs with Zipline

FILE PHOTO: A customer is served inside an Africa-focused tech startup Jumia Technologies, pickup station in downtown central business district in Nairobi, Kenya November 16, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

(Reuters) - Africa-focused e-commerce firm Jumia Technologies has partnered with drone-delivery startup Zipline to deliver household items to remote areas of Ghana, the companies said on Thursday.

The venture will combine San Francisco-based Zipline's automated, on-demand delivery system with Jumia's distribution network to enable customers from remote and rural areas to order and receive electronics, cosmetics, fashion and other products.